GreyLife
Member
So I wanted to share some interesting info with all of you. Take it with a grain of salt. I have 2 things that were said to me by my dealership over the past 2 weeks from 3 different visits. If your still with me here, read on.
First visit: I rolled into my dealership for my first yearly inspection and my 15k maintenance. I was met by one of the guys that greet you and check you in. While he was doing his thing, he asked me how I liked my new 4R. I replied that it was a solid truck and such but some things should have been addressed better (things that I noticed as well as things that have been addressed on this forum). And he said to me, and I quote "problem with the steering wobble". I thought to myself....hmmmmmmm, Interesting statement to make. Since I know that I have had a little bit of an issue with it from time to time, I know that others here have had major issues with that. So I replied with just casual banter and didn't let on that I knew about it or anything. So while I was waiting for the return of my 4R, I was thinking to myself that Toyota must know about that steering wheel wobble and any other front end issues, considering that the 4th generation had the passenger side brake caliper freeze and they knew about that. And I thought to myself, after all these years with the 5th gen and the steering wheel wobble, how come they havent been able to fix it. Money and contracts with the manufacturer of ball joints or the power steering rack? Who knows. Anyway, I just thought that this was a very interesting statement for this guy to make without me leading him into saying anything. Soooo, that brings me to my next visit.
This one is gong to freak a few of you out because I know some of you are afraid that the 4R is possibly going to go this way.
Second Visit: Had to return! Why? Because the steering wheel was wobbling like mad! To be fair, it was just a coincidence to the last visit. As part of the 15k maintenance the tires were rotated. And damn, I had a pretty good steering wheel wobble. These tires had already been on the front of the 4R and didnt give me a problem before. So, a different guy checked me in for this issue and said to me that I should bring the 4R to the place I got my tires (I changed out the Grandtreks for Firestone's weeks after I got the 4R), otherwise it will cost me 52.50 for a balancing. If your still with me here, keep reading cause I am getting to the good part. So I said never mind, I will go back to the Mavis. So Mavis re-balanced the front tires at no charge. I still had the steering wheel wobble. It was a bit less, but not enough to say that I could live with it. So I headed back to the dealer. I got checked in by a new guy and explained what happened and that I got re-balanced but the steering wheel wobble is still there. And wasnt there before the rotation. If your still with me, keep reading, dont hang up yet.....
So the top tech at the dealership drove the 4R and experienced the wobble for himself. He then balanced all the tires with the Road Master or what ever its called. He mixed the tires front and back and I got it back. When the Service guy was checking me out for the day, I casually mentioned that my Jeep doesnt have this problem nor did any other vehicle I ever owned. Then I said that my cousin has a 2016 Ford Explorer which is nice and has the 4WD but its not something that I would take on the beach or anything like that. He then said.........wait for it..........hold your breath.........yeah, the 4R is a body on frame (like, duh) and the Ford is a uni-body. He then alluded to that the next gen will probably address steering and suspension problems with electronic steering and a uni-body frame to keep up with the competition and eliminate these issues. WHOA!
The first thing I thought of was so many of you on this forum who are afraid that the 4R is going to go that way. Theres no way to tell if he is right or not, but again, he made a statement that I thought was very interesting and I wanted to pass on to all of you.
The way I see it, if this guy at the dealership is right about a revamped 4R, the 5th gen will be a highly desired vehicle for 4Runner fans and serious off road fans alike. Its a waiting game at this point.
And just so you know, I still have a slight wobble in the steering from time to time since I got the 4R back. But I havent checked/adjusted the tire pressure yet. For me sometimes that helps. I just wonder if premium ball joints and tie rods will resolve the issue altogether.
But anyway, the mention from the guy at the dealership of a unibody design and electronic steering was a red flag for me to make a statement to you all. And who knows what else could be changed if Toyota goes this route. Maybe AWD instead of of 4WD.
Just thought id share with you all. Especially you hardcore 4Runner guys.
First visit: I rolled into my dealership for my first yearly inspection and my 15k maintenance. I was met by one of the guys that greet you and check you in. While he was doing his thing, he asked me how I liked my new 4R. I replied that it was a solid truck and such but some things should have been addressed better (things that I noticed as well as things that have been addressed on this forum). And he said to me, and I quote "problem with the steering wobble". I thought to myself....hmmmmmmm, Interesting statement to make. Since I know that I have had a little bit of an issue with it from time to time, I know that others here have had major issues with that. So I replied with just casual banter and didn't let on that I knew about it or anything. So while I was waiting for the return of my 4R, I was thinking to myself that Toyota must know about that steering wheel wobble and any other front end issues, considering that the 4th generation had the passenger side brake caliper freeze and they knew about that. And I thought to myself, after all these years with the 5th gen and the steering wheel wobble, how come they havent been able to fix it. Money and contracts with the manufacturer of ball joints or the power steering rack? Who knows. Anyway, I just thought that this was a very interesting statement for this guy to make without me leading him into saying anything. Soooo, that brings me to my next visit.
This one is gong to freak a few of you out because I know some of you are afraid that the 4R is possibly going to go this way.
Second Visit: Had to return! Why? Because the steering wheel was wobbling like mad! To be fair, it was just a coincidence to the last visit. As part of the 15k maintenance the tires were rotated. And damn, I had a pretty good steering wheel wobble. These tires had already been on the front of the 4R and didnt give me a problem before. So, a different guy checked me in for this issue and said to me that I should bring the 4R to the place I got my tires (I changed out the Grandtreks for Firestone's weeks after I got the 4R), otherwise it will cost me 52.50 for a balancing. If your still with me here, keep reading cause I am getting to the good part. So I said never mind, I will go back to the Mavis. So Mavis re-balanced the front tires at no charge. I still had the steering wheel wobble. It was a bit less, but not enough to say that I could live with it. So I headed back to the dealer. I got checked in by a new guy and explained what happened and that I got re-balanced but the steering wheel wobble is still there. And wasnt there before the rotation. If your still with me, keep reading, dont hang up yet.....
So the top tech at the dealership drove the 4R and experienced the wobble for himself. He then balanced all the tires with the Road Master or what ever its called. He mixed the tires front and back and I got it back. When the Service guy was checking me out for the day, I casually mentioned that my Jeep doesnt have this problem nor did any other vehicle I ever owned. Then I said that my cousin has a 2016 Ford Explorer which is nice and has the 4WD but its not something that I would take on the beach or anything like that. He then said.........wait for it..........hold your breath.........yeah, the 4R is a body on frame (like, duh) and the Ford is a uni-body. He then alluded to that the next gen will probably address steering and suspension problems with electronic steering and a uni-body frame to keep up with the competition and eliminate these issues. WHOA!
The first thing I thought of was so many of you on this forum who are afraid that the 4R is going to go that way. Theres no way to tell if he is right or not, but again, he made a statement that I thought was very interesting and I wanted to pass on to all of you.
The way I see it, if this guy at the dealership is right about a revamped 4R, the 5th gen will be a highly desired vehicle for 4Runner fans and serious off road fans alike. Its a waiting game at this point.
And just so you know, I still have a slight wobble in the steering from time to time since I got the 4R back. But I havent checked/adjusted the tire pressure yet. For me sometimes that helps. I just wonder if premium ball joints and tie rods will resolve the issue altogether.
But anyway, the mention from the guy at the dealership of a unibody design and electronic steering was a red flag for me to make a statement to you all. And who knows what else could be changed if Toyota goes this route. Maybe AWD instead of of 4WD.
Just thought id share with you all. Especially you hardcore 4Runner guys.
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ound: Is this post for real? I think someone just wanted to see if they could punk us.... and force us to read til the end! You got me LOL
